NASCAR was passion for tile installer

Deaths - Michael Tetrick

"He's probably in heaven racing around the track with Dale Earnhardt," said Tetrick's wife, Pam, referring to the late NASCAR legend.

Tetrick, of Winter Springs, died Dec. 3 of skin cancer. He was 55.

Born in Louisville, Ky., Tetrick was raised by his grandmother, Manerva Ross-Tetrick, and was a tile installer for more than 30 years. Auto racing was his love, however, and his trips to events throughout the Southeast were often family outings.

"We went to all the races. He collected all the memorabilia, especially the Earnhardts -- junior and senior," said his wife.

She said the racing trips would sometimes turn into adventures, and she recalled one trip to Darlington, S.C., that the Tetricks and several friends took in an RV.

"We had two blow-outs on the way. He kept his sense of humor even then."

Bill Vaughn of Winter Springs was one of Tetrick's racing buddies. He said Tetrick was also an avid fisherman, and they would go fishing together at nearby lakes and rivers.

"He was like a brother, and we had a lot of laughs together."

Vaughn said he introduced Tetrick, a former auto mechanic, to tile installation. Tetrick became so adept at tile work that in 1997 he started his own business, Tetrick Tile Inc. in Winter Springs.

Friends of Tetrick's introduced him to Pam in 1993. She fondly recalled their first date at a dance club in Ocoee.

"He loved to dance, and I loved to dance. We had such a great time. It was just him and I, and we danced all night," she said. They married in 1995.

Tetrick was diagnosed with melanoma in 2007. During the last two years of his life, he fought the cancer with the help of local doctors and, most recently, with the assistance of specialists at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. He continued to work until the cancer progressed in June.

Tetrick is also survived by his daughter, Sheila Tetrick of Louisville, and stepdaughters Brandi Cavaliere and Becky Cavaliere of Winter Springs.

Arrangements are being handled by Cremation Society of Kentucky.

Tetrick was a member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles Seminole County Aerie No. 4449. A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Dec. 19 at the order's headquarters in Winter Springs.